1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to conveyor systems and in particular to a conveyor system for carrying articles in trays, wherein the trays are positively driven.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many conventional conveyor systems include a flat driven belt or rollers wherein the articles to be conveyed are carried in article carriers such as trays, boxes, cartons and the like. The trays are placed on the belt and held in place only by friction. While this is suitable for horizontal travel, if the belt inclines substantially, such as moving articles from one floor of a building to another floor, the friction may be insufficient to retain the trays in position. Also, when changing inclination a separate drive system must be employed.
A conveyor system with a positive drive for the trays rather than friction would avoid the problem with inclined conveyors. However, to avoid having to replace the entire system, the positively driven trays should be operable both on conventional conveyor systems and on the positively driven conveyor system. Also, the trays should be able to move automatically from one system to another system.